The Road to Palmyra & Travels with A Tangerine

About

The Road to Palmyra

David's striking images of Palmyra were taken during a visit to Syria in 1993, making them a crucial document in preserving the history of one of the "seven wonders of the Middle East", and showcasing the magnificence and beauty of this grand city in the desert. In the 1st century BCE, the oasis city of Palmyra, in the centre of modern Syria, was on the main trade route between the Levant and Mesopotamia. Palmyra was incorporated into the Roman Empire during the reign of Tiberius, eventually becoming a luxurious stop and trading station on the Silk Road. In the 20th century, the ruins of ancient Palmyra were carefully preserved and restored, becoming a favoured destination for modern explorers and seasoned travellers, away from the beaten track of the tourist trail. Tragically, in 2015 the city became the target of ISIS, who decimated the ancient towers, museums and theatres, turning them to rubble, and killing the proud custodians of the city, increasing the importance of David's images as a lasting reminder of what has been lost.

Travels With A Tangerine

Taking his inspiration from Ibn Battuta, a 14th century traveller, David began his worldwide travels in India in 1967, taking his camera to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, capturing his own photographic record of the places he visited and the people he met. Ibn Battuta was a Magrebhi scholar, who began a 30 year spiritual journey in 1325, covering over 75,000 miles, and recording his experiences in a travel memoir known as the Rihla. Ibn Battuta's Rihla remains a leading source of contemporary knowledge about the areas he visited, and today his memory is still honoured in the name of modern-day Tangier's international airport.
This beautiful and powerful exhibition represents a mere fraction of the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of images taken by David during his own Rihla, with the title of the exhibition playfully referring to Ibn Battuta's Moroccan origins.